Internationally sought after conductor Gregory Vajda is also known as an established composer whose music has been commissioned and presented by major orchestras, ensembles and festivals all over the globe. As composer and conductor he was appointed Artist in Residence of new music ensemble Ars Nova in France 2021-2023. As Program Director of the Peter Eötvös Contemporary Music Foundation he has been the professor of numerous conducting and composition master classes in Hungary and in France. For his creative achievements he was granted the Bartók-Pásztory Award in 2018, and he has been elected full member of the Széchenyi Academy of Letters and Arts in 2019.

Composition career highlights:

In the 2023-24 season two new symphonic works: Fool’s Fairy Tale (written for the 170th Anniversary of the Hungarian Philharmonic Society Orchestra) and a 20-25 minutes long work for The Complete History of Music project of the Danubia Symphony will premiere along with a large ensemble composition written for Ensemble Ars Nova entitled Post-apocalyptic Pastorale.

His mono-concert-opera Transporters (Fuharosok) based on a book by renown author Péter Esterházy wins ‘Classical Composition of the Year, 2022’ awarded by the Artisjus Copyright Association.

Berlin Arts University (UDK) stages a full blown production of his opera Georgia Bottoms based on the novel by American author Mark Childress, in July, 2021. L’analphabète (The Illiterate) a composition for soprano and ensemble based on the book of Swiss writer Agota Kristof is commissioned and premiered by Ensemble Ars Nova. The premiere performance is available in the form of a concert-film.

In 2018 his one act opera Barbie Blue premiers at the Budapest Opera as part of the ‘Bluebeard’s Castle 100’ Festival, and his puppet-opera The Giant Baby has its Austrian premiere in Vienna as part of the Armel Opera Festival. Tamás Varga, Principal Cellist of the Vienna Philharmonic commissions and premiers  Captain Hume’s Last Pavin for solo cello at festival ‘Wien Modern’.

Drums Drums Drums for three percussionists and orchestra receives its European Premiere with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony in May 2017.

Georgia Bottoms, a Comic Opera of the Modern South was premiers with the Huntsville Symphony as part of its 60th Anniversary Season in 2015.

Csárdás Obstiné – homage to Ferenc Liszt, for piano and orchestra is premiered at the Round Top Festival in Texas in 2011.

His third opera Magic Mountain is composed for, and performed twice as part of the ‘Davos Festival’ anniversary season in 2010.

Duevoe for orchestra has its first concert hall performance as part of the opening gala concert of the ‘Bartók Seminar and Festival’ in 2009, conducted by Peter Eötvös.

Mr. Vajda conducts his own concert music for King Vidor’s silent film The Crowd at the Auditorium of the Louvre in 2001, with American pianist Jay Gottlieb as a soloist.

Mr. Vajda’s music is available on all major online platforms and can be purchased from labels ECM, BMC (Budapest Music Center) and Hungaroton Classic. His publisher is Editio Music Budapest, part of the Universal Music Group.